It has always been a great problem to know how best to allocate the fuel costs among the various apartments in an apartment house. The situation has become further accentuated through the fuel shortage which occurred at the end of 1973, with the accompanying rationing, and through the heavy rise of prices which has had a significant effect on the total housing costs.
The following requirements may be placed on an acceptable system of allocation:
A. JUSTICE WITHIN THE LIMITS OF WHAT IS PRACTICABLE,
B. INCITEMENT TO SAVING,
C. EACH TENANT SHOULD BE ABLE TO READ OFF AND UNDERSTAND HOW HE CAN INFLUENCE THE QUANTITIES WHICH DETERMINE THE AMOUNT CHARGED TO HIM,
D. THE POSSIBILITY OF APPLYING THE SYSTEM TO THE INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS IN THE EVENT OF RATIONING, AND
E. LOW ACQUISITION, INSTALLATION AND OPERATIONAL COSTS FOR THE NECESSARY APPARATUS.
Whatever system one adopts, a completely just arrangement cannot be achieved. It has hitherto not been possible simultaneously to take into account such factors as:
A. THE DEPENDENCE ON NEIGHBOURS' HEATING HABITS, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF WRONGFULLY DRAWING BENEFIT THEREFROM,
B. THE LOCATION OF THE APARTMENT IN THE BUILDING, E.G. WHETHER A CHIMNEY RUNS THROUGH ONE OF THE WALLS OR WHETHER THE APARTMENT HAS A SOUTHWARD ASPECT BUT ENTAILS THE SAME RENT PER UNIT AREA AS ALL OTHERS DESPITE THE GREATER AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE AND THEREFORE SMALLER HEAT REQUIREMENT FROM RADIATORS OR THE LIKE, AND
C. HEATING, WATER AND SANITATION COUPLING TO THE NEIGHBOURS, IN THAT THE SAME PIPES SUPPLY SEVERAL APARTMENTS OR THE LIKE.
In Sweden the method chiefly employed is to allocate the total fuel costs of the building according to the area of the individual apartments; in special types of building account is sometimes taken of ceiling heights etc., so that a certain volume dependence enters into the picture. Other fuel clauses speak of "fireplaces", which, in general, may be taken to be the number of rooms. For large rooms, however, the number of fireplaces is increased, so that in this case as well one may speak in a way of a charge by area.
On the continent the system of heat volume metering according to the evaporation principle is often employed, and specialist firms apply and seal the meters to each individual radiator, thereafter reading the result and charging accordingly at the end of the heating season.
None of the above-described systems satisfies the initially named requirements. The Swedish method is, of course, practically cost-free and the continental method incites to saving, but as regards the other requirements both systems leave much to be desired.